


Little Pumpkin

by RosieDae



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: All The Tropes, Cliche, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Family, Happy Ending, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Tropes, i don't know how to describe this fic, idek anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:09:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4466582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosieDae/pseuds/RosieDae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Tony wants is to be reunited with his daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Pumpkin

He hadn’t meant for it to be this way. One day they were happy, the next they weren’t. He didn’t know where he went wrong. They were a family, for _two years_ they were a family. He loved his daughter with all his heart. Darcy. She was the greatest thing to have ever had happen to him. Her mother he didn’t like so much, but he was grateful that she allowed him to see Darcy whenever he wanted.

They were on the beach one day, his private beach in his Malibu mansion. Darcy was splashing in the water, and Tony was watching her like a hawk, making sure she didn’t go too far in.

“I’m leaving.” She – Darcy’s mother - told him one day. “This isn’t working out; she’s holding you back.”

“What? What is that supposed to mean? Darcy is my everything.” He hissed at her.

“I know. But she’s holding you back. You can’t run SI and be a father, Tony.” She said.

“And you’re making the decision for me?! What type of bullshit is this? Is it money you want? Because you can take it. I don’t care. I just want her.” He argued.

“I’m making this decision for you. You’re not good for Tony. You drink all the time and you’re too absorbed in yourself.” She told him.

“I’m too absorbed in myself? Maybe I drink too much, but at least I care about her.”

“I’m trying to do what’s best for her.”

“And what’s best for her is taking her away from me?!” Tony was nearly shouting now, but he tried to keep quiet.

“Yes. You need to focus on work. I need to focus on Darcy. This isn’t working out.” She said.

“Honestly, Jen, I could sue you for this. I want full custody of her.” He threatened.

“That’s not going to happen. You and I both know that. No amount of money in the world can erase the tabloids. You’re a womanizer, a drunken womanizer. No judge in his right mind would give you custody of her.” Jennifer explained. “We’re leaving tonight.”

“Tonight?! Were you ever going to tell me about this?” He glowered. He could feel his face heating up; he was sure he looked like an airhead, his face red and huge.

“This is for your own sake, and for Darcy. Don’t hate me for this.” She said.

“Jennifer, I will hate you forever for this. You’re taking my only child away from me. Heir to _Stark Industries!”_

“There! See! This is what you do!” She argued in a shrill voice. “Do you care about Darcy or do you just want her to be your heir? This is why I need to go away. I’m moving in with my parents. In Indiana. She’ll lead a good life there. Away from you.”

Every word she said stung deeper and deeper.

“I can’t believe you. I only want the best for Darcy. That’s with me.” He was yelling at this point, and Darcy had started to notice. Her little feet pitter-pattered across the sand, leaving tiny footprints.

“Daddy, what’s the matter?” She asked in a small voice.

“Nothing’s the matter, little pumpkin.” He said, tickling her sides. He glared at Jennifer.

* * *

It was later that evening, after dinner, when he said his final goodbye.

Darcy was coloring in a Little Mermaid coloring book on the coffee table. Ariel’s hair was purple and her tail was red, which was totally wrong (Darcy made him watch The Little Mermaid _all_ the time), but he smiled at his little girl’s beautiful drawing.

“Darcy, pumpkin, Daddy has to talk to you for a minute.” He said, his voice already choking up.

“Daddy, look what I drewed!” She exclaimed, waving her creation in the air like a flag.

“It’s beautiful, but Daddy really has to talk to you, can you listen to me for a minute?” He asked her.

The little girl nodded her head in response.

“You and Mommy are going to go away for a little while, and I might not be able to see you for a very long time. I want you to promise me that you’ll never forget me, princess. Daddy loves you very much.” He told her.

“Why are we going away? Why can’t I see you?” She said, her lower lip trembling.

He picked up his little girl and she sat in his lap. He took in all of her features – her curly chocolate hair, bright cerulean eyes, long eyelashes, and porcelain skin. She had his eyes. The same shape, but hers were far more expressive. And far more beautiful.

“Mommy has to go far far away for a long time, and you have to go with her. You would miss her lots and lots if she went away, right?” He asked.

“Right. But I’m going to miss you!” She said, tears spilling over her rosy cheeks.

“I know, little pumpkin, but you have to promise me to be brave. Pinky promise.” He said, his voice choking up. He would not cry in front of his daughter. No. That wouldn’t not happen.

“Pinky promise.” Darcy stated bravely, her lower lip wiggling in betrayal just a little bit.

Tony took her tiny finger in his and hooked them together.

“I love you, little pumpkin.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

And that was the last time he saw Darcy Stark.

* * *

 

Tony did, in fact, fight for custody over Darcy. But Jennifer was right; no judge in his right mind would give a child to Tony Stark, the playboy alcoholic. He threw himself into his work, creating weapons and technology people had been dreaming of for years. Along with throwing himself into his work, he also threw himself onto girls. They loved him, and the pleasure he got from them made him forget all the things he had to be sad about.

Pepper came along a few years after Jennifer left with Darcy. She was the first person in a long time that he was able to trust. It was really on Rhodey and Pepper that he trusted, but still, Pepper had no idea that Darcy ever existed.

He tried finding her, Darcy. But he never did. Jennifer probably took another last name so that she could hide from him. She was smart, he had to admit that. She knew he would try to find Darcy. He never stopped hating Jennifer. He never would stop hating her 

He kept Darcy’s things that were left at the mansion. There were some coloring books, a few photos, and a few toys that stayed with him. They were tucked in a corner of his closet, and on her birthday every year he would take them out and go through it all. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn’t. It usually just made him cry, but Tony Stark would never admit out loud that he cried.

Even through being kidnapped, throughout all of the time in Afghanistan, the only thing on his mind was Darcy. He wanted to, no he _had_ to meet her again. He knew he would. That was the only thing that gave him hope, seeing his daughter again.

He often wondered how she was, and what she was like. He assumed that she was smart, like him. She had to beautiful. He knew she was. Tony assumed that she got his wit and humor, and hopefully not his alcoholic tendencies. Darcy was the only thing that kept him going.

It was during his time in Afghanistan that he prayed to God for the very first time in years. He prayed to get out of this place, so he could find his Darcy again. The power of prayer was a wonderful thing.

When he got out, when he was finally free, the first thing he did was get together with Pepper. It was dumb, really, how long he had waited to confess his love to her. Tony wasn’t a sap, but Pepper was the only person who could make him feel more like a human being again. She helped fill the void that only Darcy could complete.

He told Pepper all about Darcy. How she would be graduating high school this year, if his calculations were correct. And Pepper listened to Tony, all of his stories of Darcy as a tiny little baby and stories of when Darcy was learning to walk and talk. It helped. It helped a lot, getting to tell somebody the feelings that he had bottled up for so long.

But still, Tony could only hope that fate somehow had it in store that they would meet again. Hope had become his best friend over the years, and Tony never thought he’d say that.

After the whole thing with aliens and joining forces with other superhumans/a God, Tony decided that maybe they should move in with him. It was a smart decision. They would all be together, and Tony would be distracted from his misery.

It helped. There was never a dull moment in The Tower. At any given time, and two members of his little clan of superheroes were bound to be fighting. It was usually him and Steve, but sometimes Natasha and Steve. New York wasn’t a bad place to live, either. He liked the city.

It was rainy day when Thor asked if his lady friend and her intern could move into The Tower. The more, the merrier! What the hey. Any distraction was a distraction. They had moved in by the end of the week.

It was a sunny day when he met Thor’s lady friend and her intern for the first time. He was working in the labs and could hear Thor coming before he even saw him.

“Man of Iron!” Thor boomed. “I have come to introduce thee to my fair maiden Lady Jane Foster, and to my shield sister, Lady Darcy Lewis!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Doctor Foster. I’ve read a lot about your theories on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge theory, and I’m very intrigued. We should talk, sometime. You should stop by my lab sometime, and we can test some theories out!”

“You’re familiar with my work? Oh my gosh, Tony Stark is familiar with my work!” The tiny brunette giggled. She turned to Thor, who smiled at her sweetly.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Miss Lewis. I’m sure it’s going to be a pleasure working with you.” He said to Doctor Foster’s friend. There was something about her, something he couldn’t really put a finger on, that seemed so familiar about her.

“Thor told me you like to play pranks on people. I want in.” Darcy told him, instead of opting for a more formal greeting. Tony liked this girl already.

“Lewis, you’re not going to believe some of the pranks that I play on people.” He boasted.

“You sure about that? I bet I could beat you any day.” She wagered.

“You’re on.” Tony shook her hand, and it was game time.

* * *

 

Playing pranks on Darcy and pranking with Darcy were rather fun. He had grown fond of the girl. She was easy to be around and she liked playing pranks on Steve. There were much worse people Tony could be spending his time with.

It was a Tuesday when Tony randomly decided to bug her apartment with fake snakes. He made it so that the snakes could move, but they weren’t actually real. Robot snakes. Maybe he could sell this idea to a toy store or something. He could probably make millions off of it.

Since Tony was the owner of The Tower, he let himself right into Darcy’s apartment when he knew she was science-wrangling Jane. Her apartment was cluttered and filled with lots of things he could only describe as _stuff._ It was colorful and there were random articles of clothing thrown about the floor, and it was Darcy.

He started planted the fake snakes around her apartment. He giggled to himself all the way to the kitchen. It was there when he noticed it. He only glanced at it at first, and then he had to do a double check. She had picture all on the refrigerator, but not just any pictures. Pictures from when she was little. Pictures of his Darcy.

Tony froze and took one of the pictures off the fridge. He touched it gingerly and ran his fingers over the photo, almost afraid that it was going to break. His breathing started getting heavy. Could it be? Was this his Darcy?

He ran back to his apartment, tearing out the box of items that he only looked at on her birthday. He found one of his photos of her, and compared it to Darcy’s photo.

_There’s no way. There’s absolutely no way._

This was his Darcy. His baby girl, his little pumpkin, was all grown up and fate somehow wanted him to find her again. He laughed through his tears.

The next thing he had to do was tell her. He had waited over twenty years for this moment. Twenty long and miserable years. He hurried to the labs where he knew she’d be.

She was there, his little girl, helping Jane file her paperwork. When she saw him, she eyed him suspiciously.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you trying to hide something from me? Because after that paint prank, I’m really not having it with you. You ruined my favorite shirt!” She ranted.

Tony handed her the photo he found on her fridge.

“Why were you in my apartment, Tony?” She asked. “What were you trying to do?”

He couldn’t find the words. He could only stare. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. He handed her his photo, one of the photos he’d kept after all the years.

“When I was younger, I had a child. She was my everything, my tiny little pumpkin. When she was three years old, her mother decided to take her away from me. She didn’t even ask. She just told me she was leaving, and that was that. I’ve been searching for over twenty years to find my daughter again, and I think you’re it, Darcy.” He said, looking at her nervously.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” She said, her eyes widening when she looked at the photos.  “It makes sense now… Why my mother never talked about you. Why we changed our last name. Why she kept me far away from California. It makes so much sense. She was trying to keep me away from you.”

“I never wanted it to be that way. I’ve been looking for all these years.” He said nervously.

“I grew up thinking that you didn’t want me. Kids made fun of me because I didn’t have a dad. Every birthday, I wished I’d get one. And little did I know I had one, and he’s Tony freaking Stark.” She said, tears falling out of her eyes.

“I’ve always wanted you. Always. Your mother left and I didn’t get a choice. I would’ve stayed by your side through it all.” He said.

“I can’t believe you found me.” Darcy cried.

“Come here, little pumpkin.”

Tony hugged his daughter, the one he had been searching for. And he finally felt like he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it! I've been having fun this summer. I have a lot of half-finished stories that I've been trying to finish, but a new idea always gets stuck in my head and I have to write it out.
> 
> I've been contemplating writing an actual, multi-chaptered story. I have a few ideas in mind, just tell me if you would like to see an actual fic from me!
> 
> Thanks for everything! xx


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